The upcoming Hyundai Custo MPV was recently spied in China, which is reportedly being built on a completely new platform for the Chinese market
SUVs and MPVs seem to be getting popular day-by-day, prompting carmakers to focus their attention towards them more than other car types, like hatchbacks and sedans. Well, turns out Hyundai also has plans to add new MPVs to its international lineup. A new Hyundai MPV was recently spied testing in China. The vehicle is christened ‘Custo’, and will be exclusive to the Chinese market, at least initially.
The upcoming Hyundai Custo is being jointly developed by Beijing Hyundai and BAIC Motor. Reports state that the Custo will not share its platform with the new-generation Kia Carnival, which was recently unveiled globally. Our speculation is that this new Hyundai MPV could sit a segment below the Carnival, i.e., it could be a potential Toyota Innova rival.
The test vehicle has quite a unique design, with the front-end drawing a little inspiration from the upcoming Hyundai Tucson. The MPV sports black plastic cladding all around, which gives it a rugged appearance. Also, we see sliding doors at the rear, which is quite common among minivans. The dual-tone alloy wheels look extremely sporty, but the taillamp looks extremely bulky with its single-piece design.
The interior looks quite sophisticated, with a large vertically-oriented touchscreen infotainment system. The multifunction steering wheel has the same ‘butterfly’ design as the new Creta, and gets paddle shifter as well. Other than that, it had a digital instrument cluster, e-parking brake, and second row AC vents.
This test model had six seats inside, but there might also be a seven-seater option on offer in the production model. The upcoming Hyundai Custo is expected to be powered by a 2.0-litre, inline-4, turbocharged engine, producing a maximum power of 237 hp and a peak torque of 353 Nm. This motor will come paired to an 8-speed automatic gearbox.
In the Chinese market, the Hyundai Custo will go on sale in October, and it doesn’t seem likely that it will be launched in India. Due to the border tension with China, trade relations have taken quite a hit. If not, Hyundai could’ve brought in the MPV to India as a CKD product. That said, Hyundai already has its hands full in India with the upcoming rival to Maruti Eritga.
